11/06/05 PLEASE CAN WE HAVE OUR PLAYGROUND BACK NOW?’

Fed-up children are pleading for a proper place to play in their village.

Youngsters in Fiskerton say they have nowhere to run around and nowhere to have a game of football or cricket.

Now the children are asking that a former sports field – which is currently used for grazing horses – is given back to the community.

The village parish council is in talks with the Church Commissioners, owners of the paddock in High Street. For decades the land belonged to a sports club and was used as a cricket and football pitch with a pavilion, until the club folded in 2003.

Resident Lester Tyler, who runs the village post office and has two children aged 10 and 13, said: “People’s biggest complaint is that there is nowhere for children to play so any opportunity to create a safe playing area for families would be great.

“My son Adam is football mad and he has a lot of friends in the village and they end up playing on an area of land that I don’t want them playing on because it annoys neighbours and it’s near a road.

“But there is nowhere else and a playing field is an essential part of village life.”

Kay Cockram, who has a seven-year-old son and is landlady of the Carpenter’s Arms, said: “We would like to get a committee together and perhaps sports funding is available.

“I would be interested to know how much the sports club lease was and how much it would be now for villagers. The children really want a field back.”

Agent Smiths Gore, which is based in Beaumont Fee, Lincoln, manages the lease of the paddock. It says the land is not for sale and confirmed it has had discussions with the parish council over its lease.

Fiskerton parish council has admitted its priority had been to rebuild its burned out community hall.

But now councillors say they are concentrating on trying to find a piece of land which could be turned into a play area.

The Village Hall burned down in 2003 and the council has been given a £175,000 lottery grant to rebuild it. Although there will be a green space for games, parents say this is not big enough.

Chairman of Fiskerton Parish Council Kipper Scott said: “The parish council’s first priority is to rebuild the village hall and we had to take out a loan for £30,000 to buy the land. Our second priority is to replace the children’s play area,” he said.

“As a parish council we are constrained by a lack of money.

“We are investigating the possibility of renting land and perhaps in the future a sports club could re-form. “One of those areas is the paddock, but it depends on money.

“It’s early days, but the parish council is doing the best it can within its resources.”